Immortals of the End Times

Time flies like an arrow, and life is like a fleeting moment.

More than thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye, like sand slipping through our fingers, quietly vanishing.

Within the secret realm of the Pot Heaven, deep within the ancient celestial court.

Zhao Wuji sat alone in the Qiankun Furnace, surrounded by a tangible river of spiritual energy, with countless laws seemingly interwoven within the flowing Daoist aura.

His eyes were slightly closed, and the golden pattern between his brows shone brightly, illuminating the entire ancient furnace with a golden glow.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the four great foundations stood majestically, like four ancient divine mountains, suppressing the universe.

The surface of the Dao Foundation is ever-changing between reality and illusion, sometimes solidifying like a substance, and sometimes as ethereal as clouds and mist, faintly showing signs of refining the ethereal into the real.

The true meaning of the Dao of Interception transformed into golden Dao patterns, spreading across the four bases. Each pattern seemed to be alive, absorbing and exhaling the Dao rhythm of heaven and earth.

Even more mysteriously, the barriers of the four foundational Daos have gradually begun to merge with the world of the Nine Provinces.

His Dao power, like spring rain nourishing all things, silently permeated the world outside.

Over the past thirty years, he has completely refined the ancient sword domain, transforming it into his fourth profound Dao foundation.

At this moment, his aura was as deep as the sea, indicating that he had already reached the late stage of the Dao Integration Realm.

This is due to the accumulated foundation gained from refining the Sword Domain, and even more so to the result of refining the seven strands of immortal spiritual energy within the Qiankun Furnace.

Of the sixteen immortal lords of the ancient celestial court, fourteen contributed fourteen strands of immortal spiritual energy to him.

Each wisp of immortal energy entering his body was like half a seven-tiered inverted flow, causing his cultivation to rise steadily.

What's even more precious is the opportunity for enlightenment brought by those hundreds of Dao Crystals.

As a result, over the past thirty years, even the profound insights left behind by the Four Heavenly Venerables have been partially or completely deciphered.

Although it was only a superficial understanding, it had already made his foundation in Tao more and more solid, and his every move exuded the aura of a great power who had attained the Tao.

"The path to harmony with the Tao lies in the foundation of the Tao."

The more stable the foundation, the wider the road ahead.

The deeper my understanding of the Tao, the faster my progress in aligning with it becomes.

Inside the Qiankun Furnace, Zhao Wuji formed hand seals and closed his eyes in deep thought.

"Especially my foundation, which was transformed from the Pot Heaven Space that I began cultivating during the Concentration stage, has a profound foundation."

During this time, it devoured numerous spiritual veins, encompassed the Tiannan Secret Realm, and even incorporated the Ancient Sword Domain as its Dao foundation. Its profound foundation far surpasses that of ordinary Dao Integration cultivators.
Furthermore, with the guidance and inheritance of the Four Heavenly Venerables' lineage, and the aid of the Dao crystals refined by the Qiankun Furnace to aid in enlightenment...
This made my cultivation speed at this level even three times faster than during my Nascent Soul stage!

With this thought in mind, Zhao Wuji suddenly opened his eyes slowly inside the Qiankun Furnace.

His eyes flashed like lightning as he stared intently at the blazing Dao flames all around him, as if he had eyes of fire and golden vision.

On the vast, mountain-like walls of the furnace, ancient Daoist patterns flowed, reflecting a mysterious and unfathomable radiance.

A hint of relief appeared in his eyes.

"This Qiankun Furnace truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient treasure. It can refine all things in heaven and earth, and naturally it can also refine myself."

With a thought, he further intensified the Fire Sitting Technique, circulating it throughout his body.

The fire outside was raging, but he felt as if he were bathed in a warm spring, with each flame seemingly enveloping him like hot spring water.

Strands of pure spiritual energy and Dao crystal power were extracted by the Dao fire, seeping into his meridians, bones, flesh, and even the depths of his primordial spirit like a trickle.

His physical body became increasingly resilient through tempering, his magical power became increasingly solid through refinement, and his primordial spirit became more serene through forging.

At this moment, his internal magical power was as deep as the ocean, his primordial spirit was as solid as an indestructible diamond, and his physical body was as powerful as an ancient god or demon.

The Dao foundation formed by the four spaces is like an inexhaustible source, providing him with a continuous stream of immense Dao power.

"With the current power of the Dao Integration Realm, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques are far more powerful than they used to be."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed with golden patterns, and he suddenly made a hand seal.

A flash of inspiration appeared at his fingertips, and he effortlessly used the Disintegration Technique. The rolling flames outside his body split like waves, instantly creating spiderweb-like cracks and fissures.

"Once I have fully permeated the Nine Provinces with my Dao power, connecting the barriers between my inner and outer worlds, that will be the time when I achieve perfect Dao integration and can transcend the Tribulation of Illusion and Reality."

He suddenly pressed his finger to his brow.

The four fundamental principles flickered and shone within the sea of ​​consciousness.

The four great Dao principles of intercepting heaven, earth, man, and destiny coiled around like dragons, causing ripples to spread across the surrounding space.

"Only by transforming the void into reality through the foundation of the Dao can I seize the opportunity to transcend this tribulation!"

His path to enlightenment had already become crystal clear during those decades of awakening.

Transform the illusory into the real, and the false into the true!
The three great heavens and the ancient mysterious land were all originally illusory realms.

After so many years of cultivation, although it has formed mountains and rivers, it is still like a painting, merely having the form but unable to give birth to life.

It lacks the true meaning of life.

The Tiannan Secret Realm is rooted in the Nine Provinces, while the Ancient Sword Domain lies across a layer of heaven.

These two foundations of the Dao are like anchors and wedges, providing an excellent opportunity to connect the inner and outer worlds and exist between the real and the unreal.

"If I were to use the Nine Provinces as a furnace and Heaven and Earth as a cauldron to refine both the inner and outer worlds, I could claim the title of Supreme Being!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly flashed with fierce power, his fingers pointed like swords, and the Dao seal between his brows suddenly shone brightly.

The true meaning of the Intercepting Dao instantly transformed into a golden rainbow and flew out of the Qiankun Furnace, following the causal threads between the Tiannan Secret Realm and the Ancient Sword Domain, quietly seeping into the Nine Provinces Barrier.

"When my Dao foundation merges with the Dharma-ending Age, that will be the time when the calamity of illusion and reality begins!"

This path of refining the illusory into the real and the false into the true is extremely arduous and can be described as difficult to traverse throughout the ages!
It even surpasses the various methods created by the Second Heavenly Venerable of the past, such as the Immortal Sealing Path, the Vast Mansion Path, the Jade Purification Path, and the Nine Tribulations Path, none of which are as difficult as Zhao Wuji's path.

The difficulty of achieving this Great Dao is comparable to the world-creating feats of Nuwa patching up the sky and Pangu creating the world in the First Heavenly Venerable.

However, once this path is successfully completed, the abundant rewards will be enough to make his foundation in Tao incomparably profound, completely surpassing the ranks of the second-generation Heavenly Venerables.

However, as the saying goes, fortune may be lurking within misfortune!
Once his Dao Foundation connects with the Nine Provinces in the End of Dharma, it will be as if his own lifeline is firmly linked to this dying world.

When the great calamity of the end times arrives, he will be the first to bear the brunt, shouldering most of the immense calamity alone.

This kind of pressure is no less than facing the unconscious erosion of the Dharma-ending rules of that True Immortal of the Dharma-ending Age with his Dao foundation. It is extremely dangerous!
But rather than waiting to die, it's better to fight to the death!
Therefore, after much deliberation, Zhao Wuji decided to embark on this difficult path.

It wasn't that he wanted to take the risk; he simply had no other choice.

This land has been in decline for thousands of years and its resources have long been depleted.

If one does not use this method, one cannot build an invincible foundation for one's path.

In the future, let alone breaking through to the Mahayana stage, even when facing the True Immortals of the Dharma-ending Age, they probably won't have even the slightest chance of victory.

The previous incarnation of Zhao Zheng was once a Heavenly Venerable.

However, when the True Immortal of the End of Dharma was seriously injured and on the verge of death, he was still severely injured by him and had to separate his three souls and reincarnate to start over.

These lessons from the past are still fresh in our minds!
"If I cannot surpass my predecessor in this life, I will ultimately be unable to escape the fate of death and the dissipation of my soul!"

Golden patterns swirled in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and the true intent of the Intercepting Dao burned like a raging fire.

"If I cannot break this deadlock in this life, even if I am reincarnated and start over, my situation will likely be even more perilous."

He removed his fingers from between his eyebrows, and between his five fingers, a Daoist aura surged around him like a rushing river.

"The Dao extends to the Three Powers, refining the void into reality!"

In the sea of ​​consciousness.

The four foundational Daos roared and trembled, and the immense power of Dao, following the mysterious cause and effect, crossed the void and poured into the demon tree's avatar, which was still inside the underground cave.

"Build a bridge with timber, and the path will reach through the nine netherworlds!"

Boom! !

The underground cavern shook violently, and the three-thousand-foot-tall demon tree clone suddenly opened its eyes.

"My lord!"

His body was covered with gnarled roots, like an ancient evil dragon awakening. Each root was wrapped with the Dao patterns of Jianmu wood, and its surface flowed with dark golden domineering Dao charm, like the veins of an ancient god or demon, breathing spiritual energy in the darkness.

"Shhhhh!"

Thousands of roots pierced through the rock layers, and the patterns on the Jianmu tree shone brightly in the dim underground fire.

Wherever the roots extend, the vital energy of the entire land resonates.

It spreads from the earth's veins in the Nine Provinces to the edge of the Nine Netherworlds.

"The transformation of the illusory into the real begins today! The three powers are restored to their proper places!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed, and suddenly his sleeves rolled up.

The phantom of the Tiannan Secret Realm appeared in the palm of his left hand, while the sharpness of the ancient sword domain pulsed at the fingertips of his right hand.

"Array up!"

The three anchor points simultaneously emitted a dazzling light, forming a triangular array that spanned the heavens and the earth.

The Demon Tree Avatar, the Southern Heavenly Realm, and the Ancient Sword Domain, at this moment, are like three divine keys, simultaneously inserted into the barrier of the Nine Provinces.

"Crack!"

The sound of shattering glass seemed to echo from the void.

On the sky above the Nine Provinces, three locations were marked by the emergence of golden Dao traces that spread wildly like a spider web.

Each golden mark seemed to writhe like a living thing, breathing in and out the true essence of the Dao that surged from Zhao Wuji's body. "Refine!"

With a loud shout from Zhao Wuji, the three anchor points simultaneously reversed their rotation.

A mighty Dao fire ignited from the void, and it began to incorporate the entire Nine Provinces into the refining process from three nodes!
The demonic tree deep within the earth's veins suddenly turned entirely into glass.

The three-thousand-foot-tall tree trunk was covered with dense golden patterns resembling a primordial Dao robe.

Originally stuck at the bottleneck of perfecting the Nascent Soul stage, it began to loosen under the impact of this powerful Dao-merging force.

Now grown to a demonic tree avatar three thousand feet tall, it has some of the grandeur of the former Jianmu tree, with roots spreading throughout the nine provinces and even reaching the vicinity of the Nine Netherworlds underground.

Through this clone, Zhao Wuji's speed in refining the Nine Provinces will be further enhanced.

During this process, the clone is expected to gradually break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage and enter the Dao Integration stage through the continuous infusion of Dao power, becoming his anchor for anchoring the Nine Provinces.

In this way, the demon tree clone no longer needs to use the seventh-level spiritual veins of the Immortal Saint Sect or the Qilin Sword Sect to break through to the Dao Integration stage.

This is mainly because Zhao Wuji can now refine a lot of spiritual energy through the Qiankun Furnace during the process of purifying the world.

The amount of spiritual energy provided for cultivation is sufficient for now.

Even the little bit that dripped from the corner of his mouth was enough for the demon tree clone to slowly develop.

"clang!!"

The lid of the Qiankun Furnace was lifted, and billowing spiritual mist rolled in like a reversed Milky Way.

Zhao Wuji stepped out of the furnace.

"Although the demon tree clone is improving rapidly, it's starting to fall behind me."

His eyes flickered slightly as he scanned the demonic tree deep within the earth's veins with his divine sense.

Now, this clone has been relegated from a main force to a support role for him.

Its greatest value now lies in serving as an anchor point for refining the Nine Provinces, helping him complete the crucial step of the interplay between the real and the illusory.

"Whoosh!"

Gathering his thoughts, Zhao Wuji had already swiftly arrived at the Celestial Court Cave below.

Amidst the swirling clouds, Nan Zhixia, dressed in a plain white silk dress, sat cross-legged on a lotus platform, her late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual pressure flowing like moonlight.

Not far away on the cliff edge, Li Shiyu made a sword incantation with her hands, and the thunder-patterned jade hairpin in her black hair trembled slightly with her breath, indicating that she had also reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

However, what pleased Zhao Wuji the most was that his senior uncle Yan Lan had also condensed his Dao Seal, survived the Dao Tribulation, and broken through to the Nascent Soul stage more than ten years ago under his protection.

Now, this world is guarded by five top-tier experts: Cang Yunzi, Wentian Daojun, Hua Qingshuang, Yan Lan, and himself.

Two of them were his Daoist partners.

Even if he fails to attain Mahayana enlightenment in the future and meets with misfortune...
At least these female confidantes now have the ability to protect themselves.

"Husband!"

Upon seeing his figure, the two beautiful figures immediately ended their cultivation and rushed over like startled swans.

Nan Zhixia lightly touched the lotus platform with her delicate feet and fell into Zhao Wuji's arms.

Li Shiyu, her jade hairpin swaying, took his arm, her bright eyes filled with a smile.

"Husband, you've been cultivating for too long this time. My sister and I are getting restless."

"Oh? You guys are so bored, why don't you find something to have fun with?"

With his arms around the two women, Zhao Wuji's Daoist aura flowed around him, making the spiritual energy around them even clearer.

"Let me see what's wrong with you guys. If it's broken, I'll fix it for you."

"Hmph, my husband is getting worse and worse."

After two days of simple tenderness, Zhao Wuji did not indulge in the gentle embrace too much.

Now, after more than thirty years of cultivation, his cultivation level has improved, and the resources in the Qiankun Furnace have long been exhausted, leaving only the last seven strands of immortal spiritual energy.

Therefore, he also intends to continue to seize the time to purify the turbidity of heaven and earth.

He flew out of the Pot Heaven Secret Realm and suddenly looked up.

The Daoist principles within his consciousness spread like ripples, instantly covering the mountains and rivers of the nine provinces.

"Ok?"

He frowned slightly.

But where the divine sense swept, on the snowy plains of the northern border of Suzhou in the northeast, demonic cultivators were driving a horde of corpses to devour villages, and the piercing cries of infants echoed through the black mist.

In the ancient forests of Xirong, a demon king kept humans as food, and bone towers piled up like mountains.

Even in a relatively prosperous prefecture like Nanchu Prefecture, thousands of miles of fertile land were turned into scorched earth, and tragedies of cannibalism and exchanging children were repeatedly staged during the famine.
"The Six Great Ancestral Demons"

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing in them.

The source of these rampant demons is clearly the demonic Daoist energy that has escaped from the depths of the Netherworld.

Those six ancestral demons are the six evil thieves transformed from the six souls of the Great Luo, and in recent years they have been like a carbuncle that has gnawed into the bones, eroding the minds of all living beings.

Even under the leadership and coordination of the Immortal Saint Sect, the cultivators of various states never stopped slaying demons and monsters, but it was ultimately only a temporary solution that could not address the root cause.

after all
The hardest thing to guard against in this world is always the evil thoughts in people's hearts.

"Even when the will of the Great Luo is dormant, it can still distort the historical river of this world, causing changes in the history of the world and even giving birth to illusory historical figures."

Zhao Wuji frowned in thought.

The six ancestral demons, formed from the evil thoughts of the six souls of the Great Luo, can manipulate the seven emotions and six desires with ease. This is their innate supernatural power, which is almost unsolvable!

"I don't have much time left, I have to hurry. The six Ancestral Demons must be dealt with as soon as possible!"

A resolute glint appeared in his eyes, and suddenly he pointed his fingers like a sword, cutting off a lock of hair from the back of his head.

"Shh!"

A surge of spiritual energy flowed into my palm.

He opened his mouth and blew, and a wisp of spiritual energy flew out. His hair grew in the wind and instantly transformed into clones shrouded in Daoist charm.

“Swish swish!!”

Dozens of figures simultaneously formed hand seals.

In an instant, they soared through the clouds and mist, like streaks of starlight falling, heading straight for the land ravaged by demons and monsters across the Nine Provinces.

Zhao Wuji's consciousness then spread out like ripples.

Inside the Immortal Saint Sect, Cang Yunzi, who was in seclusion, suddenly felt the whisk on his lap tremble.

At the Qilin Sword Sect, ripples spread across the pool in the Sword Valley, and Daoist Wentian, who was sitting on the water, suddenly raised his head.

At the same time, Zhao Wuji's voice transmission rang in their ears: "Fellow Daoists, how have you been?"

Cang Yunzi's eyes flashed with a sharp light beneath his long, snow-white eyebrows. "Fellow Daoist Zhao, does this pressure of your divine sense mean your cultivation has improved again?"

"A small success!" Zhao Wuji replied with a smile. "Are you two troubled by the matter of achieving Dao?"

Cang Yunzi smiled bitterly and transmitted his voice: "I have been sitting in my cave for more than 30 years. Although I have touched the threshold of the Dao Integration stage, I always feel that I am still missing that final step."

"Me too."

The Heavenly Daoist's brows furrowed with worry: "It seems that working in isolation will ultimately lead to failure!"

"It is better to comprehend the universe than to contemplate it behind closed doors."

Zhao Wuji calmly reminded, "The heavens and earth, mountains and rivers all contain the essence of the Dao; slaying demons and eliminating evil is also a form of cultivation."

He suddenly uttered a startling statement: "Within sixty years, I plan to travel to the Nine Netherworlds and slay those six Ancestral Demons. If you two are interested at that time, you may come to watch the battle and perhaps even gain enlightenment from it!"

"what?!"

Cangyunzi and Wentian Daojun were both greatly alarmed and immediately tried to dissuade him.

"The six Ancestral Demons are all Dao Integration Realm cultivators, and their power is even greater, especially since they are in the Nine Netherworlds."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, do not act rashly! Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Don't worry, as I said, when I went to the Ninth Heaven last time, the two Immortal Kings, Ziwei and Zhongtian, had already reached an agreement with me."

Zhao Wuji's voice, like a stabilizing force, cut off their surprise and doubt: "At that time, the two seniors will also lend a helping hand."

"Once my cultivation advances a bit further, I will join forces with the two Immortal Kings. The Great Tribulation of the End of Dharma is approaching, and these six calamities must be eliminated first!"

Upon hearing Zhao Wuji's words, Cangyunzi and Wentian Daojun both relaxed.

They were all immediately shocked, realizing how many years had passed.

Zhao Wuji has grown to such an extent that he actually has the courage to join forces with two Immortal Kings to confront the six Ancestral Demons head-on.

In comparison, the two of them have already fallen far behind. Even if another sixty years pass, they will probably be unable to participate in the battle of the Nine Netherworlds and can only watch from the sidelines.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao possesses the great righteousness to uphold the principles of Heaven and Earth."

Cang Yunzi bowed with shame and transmitted his voice, "This old man only hopes to keep up with the pace and break through to the Dao Integration stage. Perhaps I can lend a hand then."

The Daoist Wentian remained silent, but the ripples in the pool beneath him seemed to be his response.

He had no confidence that he could break through to the Dao Integration Realm within sixty years, and he couldn't even bring himself to say such a shameful thing.
(End of this chapter)